


As Luck Would Have It

by stolen_pen_name23



Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: Jedi Apprentice Series - Jude Watson & Dave Wolverton, Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Angst, Canon-Typical Violence, Choking, Collars, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hurt Obi-Wan Kenobi, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kidnapping, Obi-Wan Kenobi Needs a Hug, Padawan Obi-Wan Kenobi, Pre-Star Wars: The Phantom Menace, Protective Qui-Gon Jinn, Qui-Gon Jinn Needs a Hug, Whump, Whumptober 2020, Young Obi-Wan Kenobi
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-02
Updated: 2020-10-04
Packaged: 2021-03-07 18:42:10
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,039
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26772361
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stolen_pen_name23/pseuds/stolen_pen_name23
Summary: Spice runners who are a little out of their depth try their hand at kidnapping a young Obi-Wan to sell to the Hutts. Unfortunately for the two spice runners, Qui-Gon Jinn will stop at nothing to find his stolen Padawan. This is a prompt fill for the day 2 Whumptober prompts, Collar and Kidnapped.
Relationships: Qui-Gon Jinn & Obi-Wan Kenobi
Series: Whumptober 2020 [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1951717
Comments: 21
Kudos: 208
Collections: Whumptober 2020





	1. Taken

Up until the moment he was taken, Obi-Wan had been having a relatively pleasant afternoon. 

He’d been enjoying the cool, autumn breeze and warm sunlight out on some green space just outside the temple. He lay on his stomach side-by-side with his best friend Bant. They were both Padawans now, so they hadn’t had as much time to spend together as they used to have. They took this rare opportunity to catch up with each other and just enjoy each other’s company. They had always been comfortable just sitting in silence together, so that’s what they had been doing. Laying quietly beside each other, each engrossed in their own books, but quietly basking in the light of each other’s Force presences. 

“Obi?” Bant questioned after a long while of silence.

“Yeah?” he answered lazily, still partially engaged with what he was reading. 

“Are you happy?”

Obi-Wan put down his book and turned to look at his friend with an inquisitive glance. “Of course I am.”

“Are you sure? You just seem... withdrawn. More so than usual I mean,” she said with a half-smile, but the concern didn’t leave her eyes. 

“I’m fine, Bant,” he said quietly. 

“Don’t lie to me, Obi.”

His eyes fell back to the grass. “I  _ am  _ happy,” he finally said. “It’s just…”

“It’s just what?” she prodded.

“I’m happy to be a Padawan, it’s just, I’m not sure Qui-Gon is happy to have me as his Padawan.”

It was the truth. Obi-Wan had been ecstatic when he had been told he was going to be a Jedi. But after a few months with Qui-Gon, he wasn’t sure that he had actually been wanted in the first place. It was clear Qui-Gon wasn’t as comfortable with him as many other Masters were with their own Padawans. Obi-Wan wasn’t sure what he was doing wrong, but it ate at him every day. He longed for the amiable Master-Padawan relationships that many of his friends had with their Masters. Qui-Gon was never overtly  _ mean  _ to Obi-Wan, he was just… aloof. Obi-Wan had tried hard at first to break through the standoffishness, but it did little good. Now he tended to mirror Qui-Gon’s aloofness. He wasn’t sure what else he could do. 

“Oh come on! That’s ridiculous! Any Master would be  _ lucky  _ to have you as their Padawan. I’m sure Qui-Gon feels that way about you.”

“There’s no such thing as luck.”

“Oh, stop being so pedantic,” Bant said, rolling her eyes. “Qui-Gon is  _ privileged  _ to have you as his Padawan.”

Obi-Wan shot her a half-smile. “Thanks, Bant.”

She smiled back at him and they both went back to their reading. Bant was happy to sense that Obi-Wan’s pleasant mood hadn’t soured from their conversation. She worried about him. He’d always been so tightly wound. She hoped he and Qui-Gon would have a breakthrough soon, then he would be happy all the time, she was sure of it. But for now, she would take what she could get.

After a while, Obi-Wan stirred at her side. He sat up quickly, fully alert.

“What is it?”

“Something is wrong.”

As he said it, she sensed it too. A prickle of warning made its way up her spine. She looked around and her eyes widened.

“Obi!” She screamed in alarm as two large men came up behind them. The burlier of the two men held a baton and in one quick movement, struck the back of Obi-Wan’s head. He fell limp back on the grass.

“Obi!” she screamed again in terror as the taller man grabbed her and started dragging her towards a bench. He began binding her wrists to the bench’s armrest. She kicked furiously, but the other man quickly grabbed her legs and started binding her ankles. 

“Help! Somebody, please he…” her screams were cut off when a cloth was tied around her head and forced in her mouth. 

“Are you sure we’re only taking one of them?” the taller man said. 

“Forget the girl, we only have one of these,” the burlier of the two men said as he held up a collar that had a slight blue glow coming off of it. “Besides, a human Jedi is more valuable to the Hutts. Once we get the money from this one we can buy more of these collars and pick off more of these Jedi.” 

“Fine,” the taller one grumbled as he finished off the knots around Bant’s wrists. 

She squirmed defiantly and screamed, though it was muffled by the cloth in her mouth. She watched as one of the men fumbled with the locking mechanism on the collar. 

“Come on man! Get the collar on him before he wakes up and uses his mind control powers on us.”

“Oh come on, do you really believe this skinny kid actually has mind control powers?”

“Look, I don’t want to take any chances. Let’s just get the kid to the Hutts and move on alright?”

“Fine, fine!” the taller of the two men said as he finally opened the collar. The larger man yanked the collar from his hand and roughly forced it around Obi-Wan’s neck.

As soon as it snapped shut, Bant could no longer sense Obi-Wan’s presence in the Force. If she had not been able to see his chest rising and falling evenly as he lay unconscious on the grass, she would have believed him dead. 

She watched helplessly as the burlier of the two attackers threw Obi-Wan over his shoulder and began walking away. They were long out of sight when she saw a dingy looking ship take off from about two blocks over. 

Tears streamed down her face as she fought helplessly against her bonds. She closed her eyes in defeat before she heard a familiar voice.

“Obi-Wan!” Qui-Gon called, worry dripping from his tone. “Obi-Wan?”

Bant tried screaming through the cloth, but it came out very muffled. However, it didn’t take long for Qui-Gon’s eyes to land on her.

“Bant!” Qui-Gon cried as he ran to her side. He immediately undid her bonds. “Bant, what happened? Where is Obi-Wan?”

Released from her bonds, she slumped forward and sobbed into Qui-Gon’s chest. “They took him! H-he’s gone.”

“Who took him?” Qui-Gon questioned frantically.

“I don’t know,” she hiccuped. “Two men. They… they…”

“They what?”

“They put a Force suppressing collar on him. They’re going to sell him!”

“Sell him?”

“They said they were selling him to the Hutts.”

Qui-Gon’s heart skipped a beat.  _ No. _

“Bant, is he injured? Did they hurt him?”

A quiet sob escaped her lips. “Yes. They hit him on the head. He was unconscious when they took him!”

Quiet fury danced behind Qui-Gon’s eyes. He quickly scooped up the young girl and dropped her off at the Halls of Healing. She had insisted she was fine, but the ropes had left her wrists raw. 

“Master Jinn?”

“Yes, Padawan Eerin?”

“You have to save him. Bring him home. He’s my best friend.”

“I will, Bant. I will find him and I will bring him home safe. I promise.”

They nodded to each other before Qui-Gon took off to the hangar. He wasted no time commandeering the nearest high-speed ship he could find. He entered the coordinates for Nal Hutta and took off into hyperspace.


	2. Harder to Breathe

Until Obi-Wan had been taken, Qui-Gon had been having a pleasant afternoon.

He had been having tea with Mace Windu. They had been friends for years – ever since they were agemates together in the creche. Their opposing personalities seemed to compliment each other, and they enjoyed the occasional rare chance to catch up with one another. 

“What troubles you, my friend?”

“Nothing,” Qui-Gon said quickly before sipping his tea.

“You know you can’t lie to me, Qui-Gon.”

Qui-Gon sighed and looked at his hands. “I fear I am failing my Padawan.”

“What makes you think that?”

“I can tell I am a disappointment to him. At the beginning of his apprenticeship, he tried so hard to bond with me and I wouldn’t let him in. Now he’s standoffish, quiet. I fear it is too late for us to have the relationship many other masters and apprentices have.” 

“That is concerning. You don’t have a bond with him at all?”

“We have a Force bond, I can feel his presence now as we speak. But it’s not as strong as…”

“It’s not as strong as your bond was with Xanatos,” Mace finished for him.

Qui-Gon nodded but was unable to meet Mace’s penetrating gaze. 

“In many ways, he is similar to Xanatos. I can sense a fire inside of him, but he’s different. He’s pure. He’s got so much light and I’m…”

“You’re afraid your teachings will turn him in the way that Xanatos turned.”

“That is my greatest fear,” Qui-Gon confirmed.

“My friend, you know you need to let those fears go. Obi-Wan is not Xanatos. You did not fail Xanatos.”

Qui-Gon hummed.

“However,” Mace continued. “If you continue as things are, you  _ will  _ fail Obi-Wan. The boy is  _ good _ Qui-Gon. Everyone can sense it. I don’t think even you could change that.”

Qui-Gon smiled at him. 

“I believe you are right, Mace,” Qui-Gon said in resignation. “I’ll work harder at forging our bond. I don’t want to mess this up – mess him up.”

“I have faith that the Force will help you work things out.”

“Thank you, my friend.”

The two drank their tea and conversed for a while longer when suddenly Qui-Gon dropped the teacup he had been holding. It shattered into dozens of pieces on the ground below him. 

“Qui-Gon, what’s…” 

“He’s gone,” Qui-Gon said breathlessly.

“Who’s gone?”

“Obi-Wan. I can’t feel him, Mace.  _ He’s gone! _ ”

“Calm yourself. What do you mean?”

“I know our bond isn’t  _ strong  _ but I can always  _ feel  _ him. Now he’s gone. Mace, you have to help me find him!” Qui-Gon said frantically.

“Alright, we’ll split up. Where do you think he could be.”

“He was meeting his friend Bant today. They like to sit together in the garden just outside the temple. I will check there. Can you check our quarters?”

“Of course.”

The two separated. Qui-Gon ran out to the garden, frantically calling Obi-Wan’s name both aloud and through the Force. 

When his eyes had landed on young Bant Eerin tied up to the bench with no Obi-Wan in sight, his heart sank.

Even now as he hurtled through hyperspace, a poisonous phrase repeated like a mantra through his mind.

_ I can’t fail this one. I can’t fail this one. I can’t fail this one. _

* * *

Obi-Wan’s head felt like it had been stuffed with cotton. He blinked wearily, confused and in pain. He took in his surroundings. He was laying on the cold metal floor of a small ship, that much was sure. He saw a number of crates and boxes surrounding him, but not much else. He was laying on his side, his back pressed to the wall. His hands and ankles were bound with rope and there was a collar around his neck. It was too tight and it was making it difficult to breathe. More concerning than any of that though, he couldn’t feel the Force. 

As he became more and more aware of his missing connection from the Force, his panic rose. He couldn’t sense any living beings around him, he couldn’t release his fear and emotions into it, and he couldn’t feel his Master in his mind anymore. 

His chest rose and fell rapidly as panic started to overcome him. 

“Hey, Henry! The kid’s awake! Do I need to knock him out again?” a tall man said as he entered into Obi-Wan’s field of vision.

“Nah, leave him be. He can’t do anything to us as long as he’s got that collar on.”

_ The collar. _

That would explain why he couldn’t feel the Force. Having an explanation marginally reduced his panic, but he was still being held captive by two strange men. 

“Hey there little Jedi,” the man, presumably Henry, said. “You hungry?”

Obi-Wan didn’t say anything. He just stared wide-eyed at the man. 

“Do you talk kid?”

“Where am I?” Obi-Wan questioned, trying to make his voice sound as even as possible. It was difficult with the collar partially cutting off his airway. 

“Currently, you’re in hyperspace.”

“Where are we going?” he rasped

“You’ll find out when we get there, kid. You got a name?”

“Yes.”

“Want to share what it is?”

“Not really.”

“I heard that other kid call you something. What was it? Obi right? Is your name Obi?” Henry questioned. Obi-Wan’s panic returned in full force.

“Where is Bant?” he gasped out.

“Who’s Bant?”

“My friend! What… what did you do with her?” he panted. He was starting to see black spots in his vision.

“Oh! The Mon Calamari girl? Yeah, we left her behind. You see, we only have one of these fancy collars on hand.” 

Relief coursed through his veins. Bant was safe. Maybe she would be able to get help.

“Henry, leave the kid alone! Get back up here and help me fly this ship!” 

“Alright Boss!”

Obi-Wan was once again left alone. He focused his energy on trying to breathe.

*****

Obi-Wan hadn’t realized he had fallen asleep, or perhaps just passed out, until he was roughly shaken awake by the shorter man.

“See, he’s still alive! Nothing to worry about.”

“I don’t know, Boss. He’s not looking so good. I think you put the collar on him too tight. Listen to him, he can barely breathe!” 

“He’s still breathing, why do you care?” 

“You said we were just going to transport him. I never agreed to hurt any kids,” Henry said defiantly.

“What do you think is going to happen to him after we transport him huh?”

Obi-Wan watched Henry’s face fall in shame. 

_ I can use that. _

Obi-Wan played up his ragged breathing, gasping and coughing more than he had been.

“Boss!”

“Alright, fine. Loosen the collar, but don’t take too long.”

Henry immediately knelt down by Obi-Wan and propped him up in a sitting position. 

“Sorry, kid,” Henry said as he fiddled around with the locking mechanism. “I need the money.”

Obi-Wan just rasped pathetically.

Henry opened up the collar and for one small moment, the Force came flooding back. Obi-Wan reveled in its warmth and its light but didn’t waste any time. 

_ MASTER!  _ He called through his bond. He knew it wasn’t the strongest bond, but he hoped against all hope that Qui-Gon would feel him and be able to follow his call.  _ MASTER! _

_ Obi-Wan? _

The reply was faint, but it was there. 

_ Master! I don’t have much time, they’re putting the collar back…”  _

The silent plea was cut off as Henry resecured the collar. The immediate separation from the Force cut like a knife. Its loss was that of a phantom limb and he fought back tears at the sudden separation from the warm glow that had shrouded him his whole life. The Force may be out of reach, but at least the collar wasn’t cutting off his airway anymore. He breathed deeply, gratefully filling his lungs with air.

“That better kid?”

Obi-Wan nodded slightly, but it was enough to please Henry. He smiled at him. Obi-Wan glared back. 

“Come on kid,” Henry said as he slung Obi-Wan over his shoulder. “We’ve got places to be.”

* * *

Lightyears away, Qui-Gon was thanking the Force. He had felt Obi-Wan’s call and now knew for certain that he was on the right path. He wasn’t that far away either. Qui-Gon put more power into the spacecraft and soon enough, skidded into Hutt space.

He landed the ship closest to where he last sensed Obi-Wan and began his search. Qui-Gon had been unfortunate enough to have had several missions on Nal Hutta, so he knew where to start looking. With fierce determination, he set off towards a bar he knew was popular with spice traders.

Nothing was going to stop him in his search for his Padawan.


	3. Threat

Up until the moment the Boss decided they would be smuggling a child, Henry had been having a pretty pleasant few months. 

He had really gotten the hang of spice running. He was good at it. No, it wasn’t the most ethical job in the galaxy, but nobody was getting hurt (too badly at least). He had a good deal with the Boss. A few months back, he had gotten into a little trouble on Jakku. The spice running was helping him get out of said trouble.

Everything had been going fine. 

Then, the Boss traded a large amount of spice for a collar. Not just any collar. A collar that could contain the power of a Jedi. It was extremely expensive, but if they could get their hands on even one Jedi, the collar would more than pay for itself. 

Henry grimaced to himself as he carried the child over his shoulders. He didn’t like this one bit. 

The kid was young. The poor thing was probably terrified though he seemed pretty good at hiding it. He hoped that wherever this kid ended up, he was treated well. He tried not to think about it too much.

“Come on Henry!” The Boss yelled. “We’re meeting our connection in there.”

The kid had squirmed a bit on his shoulder but had given up rather quickly. It was clear he was exhausted and in pain. More guilt crept into Henry’s gut. He did his best to shrug it off. After this job, he could return to Jakku and pay off his debts. He would be free. 

He sighed to himself as he followed the Boss into a bar. 

* * *

Qui-Gon had always had the advantage of height. He was tall for a human, and he towered over many other species inside the bar. Unfortunately, his height in conjunction with his Jedi robes would make him sorely stick out in a place like this. He settled himself in a dark corner of the bar and took to observing the clientele inside. 

It was a rough group. Small brawls broke out frequently all over the bar. Prostitutes flirted with drunk patrons and some people were passed out over tables and on the floor. 

Qui-Gon paid these people no mind. He was only looking for one person in particular. 

His eyes landed on a short, burly man whispering to a Twi-Lek woman. He shifted his gaze to the right and he saw a taller man – and on that man’s shoulders was a small bundle of brown robes with a shock of copper-blond hair. 

Qui-Gon’s heart leapt into his throat. More than anything he wanted to charge at the two men and take his Padawan back. However, Qui-Gon didn’t want to cause a disturbance that would let Obi-Wan get hurt in the process. 

He quietly made his way around the edge of the bar, never letting his eyes leave the boy so carelessly thrown over a strange man’s shoulders. Like a predator hunting his prey, he stalked through the bar. 

The two men had their backs turned to Qui-Gon, but Obi-Wan was facing him. His young Padawan lifted his head and scanned his surroundings until his eyes landed on Qui-Gon. His eyes widened and his head shot up. Qui-Gon grit his teeth as he willed his Padawan to stay still and not alert his captors to the Jedi’s presence. 

Unfortunately, Obi-Wan couldn’t currently hear Qui-Gon’s silent pleas and he wriggled against his captors. The sudden disturbance caused Obi-Wan to fall to the ground with a harsh thud. The two men turned in surprise, then their eyes landed on Qui-Gon. Qui-Gon immediately drew his lightsaber at the same time the two men drew their blasters. One was pointed at Qui-Gon, and the shorter of the two men had his blaster pointed at Obi-Wan’s head. 

So much for not causing a disturbance.

The whole bar had come to a stop. The patrons all watched the standoff with curiosity. Brawls were common, but Jedi were not. They eyed the deadly weapon in Qui-Gon’s hands with a mix of fear and intrigue. 

“Drop your weapons,” Qui-Gon commanded. 

“Drop yours,” the shorter man commanded. He grabbed Obi-Wan by his hair and pulled his head back. The boy yelped and his eyes widened. 

“Hand over your lightsaber or the kid dies.”

“If the kid dies, you won’t live even a second longer than him do you understand me?”

Qui-Gon could sense the fear rolling off of the two men, especially the taller of the two. 

“Come on Boss, just hand the kid over. This whole thing was wrong and you know it,” Henry pleaded.

“I suggest you listen to your friend,” Qui-Gon stated evenly. He spared a glance at Obi-Wan, his eyes bright. He wished he could send him a wave of calm and reassurance through their bond.

Henry slowly lowered his weapon, but didn’t drop it. This left the other man, still pointing his gun at Obi-Wan. 

“I’ll kill this kid right here right now if you don’t mind your business, Jedi.”

“He is my business,” Qui-Gon said icily. “If you hurt one more hair on the boy’s head you will soon be removed from yours.”

“Now that doesn’t sound like the Jedi way,” he taunted.

“I follow the will of the Force and the Force wants that boy alive.”

Qui-Gon had his attention focused so keenly on the man holding a gun to his Padawan’s head, he hadn’t noticed the subtle movements of the other man until he, in one quick flash, pulled his blaster and shot his partner in the neck. Without missing a beat, Qui-Gon Force pulled both weapons to him and destroyed them. He ran to his Padawan and knelt by his side. He looked to the man who had been holding a gun to Obi-Wan and quickly noted that he was no longer living.

Qui-Gon gave a surprised glance to Henry.

“I never wanted to hurt any kids,” he said quietly.

Qui-Gon could sense genuine guilt and regret coming from the man. 

“I’m sorry that it still ended in violence.”

“I’m sorry, Master Jedi. I never meant to get involved in this.”

Qui-Gon hummed. “I’m much too busy taking care of my Padawan to deal with taking anyone into custody. I mean with all the chaos it would be very easy for a suspect to disappear, don’t you think?” 

Henry immediately caught his meaning. He darted out of the bar and made a break for the Boss’s ship. 

Qui-Gon huffed and returned his full attention to Obi-Wan. 

“Master?” Obi-Wan said hoarsely. “Can you get this off of me? Please?”

“Of course Padawan.” 

Qui-Gon hurriedly worked on the locking mechanism of the collar. It was tricky, but before long he had it open. Obi-Wan’s Force presence came rushing back to him in a flash. Before Obi-Wan had time to put his shields back up or reign in his emotions, Qui-Gon could feel the fear and panic swirling in his Padawan’s mind. 

“It’s alright, Obi-Wan. I’ve got you now.”

Qui-Gon destroyed the collar with his lightsaber and then carefully cut the bonds around Obi-Wan’s wrists and ankles. 

“Come on,” Qui-Gon said quietly as he scooped Obi-Wan into his arms. “I’m taking you home.”

“I can walk, Master,” Obi-Wan rasped pathetically.

“I know,” Qui-Gon said without offering further explanation. 

Obi-Wan gave up and instead rested his head on Qui-Gon’s shoulder. 

It didn’t take long for them to return to the ship. Qui-Gon’s instincts had been spot on in his search for his Padawan.

Qui-Gon carefully set Obi-Wan down in the co-pilot's chair and began looking him over. He noted the torn up skin around his wrists and ankles. What concerned him most was the bruising around his throat. Qui-Gon ran a very gentle finger along Obi-Wan’s neck but withdrew it quickly when the boy flinched. 

“I’m sorry, Padawan.”

“It’s okay,” he whispered in reply.

“How is your head, Padawan? Bant said they hit you on the head.”

“Where is Bant?” Obi-Wan asked, perking up slightly.

“Bant is at the temple. She is safe. Now, answer my question.”

Obi-Wan looked down at his feet. “It hurts.”

“Are you dizzy? Nauseous?” 

“A little.”

Qui-Gon tried to release his rage into the Force. He looked at Obi-Wan with surprise when the boy recoiled slightly away from him, shrinking even farther into himself.

“Padawan, what’s wrong? You’re safe now.”

“You’re angry with me,” Obi-Wan said in a small voice.

Qui-Gon was too shocked to reply, which only furthered Obi-Wan’s conviction that he was somehow at fault in this situation.

“I’m sorry, Master. I should have sensed them sooner. They came out of nowhere and…”

Qui-Gon watched in dismay as the boy got himself worked up, his breathing becoming more rapid and his blue eyes bright with unshed tears.  _ I’ve already failed this one.  _

“Shh shhh Padawan, it’s alright. You’re safe now. I’m not angry with you. You did nothing wrong, do you understand me?”

Obi-Wan tried to calm his breathing, but he coughed painfully. 

“Hold on, stay here alright. I’ll be right back.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes flashed with alarm.

“I’ll be right back, I promise,” Qui-Gon reassured.

Qui-Gon scrambled to the back of the ship and searched furiously until he found what he was looking for. He came back to Obi-Wan’s side and gently handed him a bottle of water.

“Drink this, Padawan. Slowly.”

Obi-Wan took grateful sips of the cool water.

“I’m going to put some bacta on your wrists and ankles, is that alright?”

Obi-Wan nodded.

Qui-Gon started with his ankles, rolling up the hem of his leggings and gently dabbing bacta on the raw skin. Obi-Wan then set down the water bottle and obediently stuck out his wrists. He only flinched a little bit as Qui-Gon dabbed the healing gel all over the wound.

“There, does that feel better?”

Obi-Wan nodded again.

“Obi-Wan, I need you to know that I’m not angry with you.”

The young Padawan looked at his feet, trying to hide the escaped tears rolling down his cheeks. 

“Obi-Wan, I was terrified,” Qui-Gon continued. “I was terrified when I could no longer feel your presence in my mind. I thought… well it felt like you were dead.”

“I’m sorry, Master.”

“Please, for the love of the Force, stop apologizing, Obi-Wan.”

“Sorry,” Obi-Wan said sheepishly and Qui-Gon couldn’t help but let out an exasperated laugh.

“I am the one who should be apologizing to you, my young Padawan.”

Obi-Wan looked up with surprise.

“I’m supposed to protect you. This shouldn’t have happened at all. But more than that, I want to apologize for my behavior over the last few months.”

Obi-Wan’s eyes widened.

“You’ve done nothing but work hard and try to be a good Padawan to me and I’ve done nothing but make you feel unwanted. That’s one of the worst things a Master can do.”

Qui-Gon could sense burgeoning hope coming from Obi-Wan’s side of the bond. It felt light and pure and golden. 

“It’s alright, Master. I understand.”

“You’re too good for me, Padawan,” Qui-Gon grinned. “Now, let’s go home so a real healer can look at you.”

“Do I have to see a real healer,” Obi-Wan said in an uncharacteristic whine. 

“Yes, I’m afraid so, Padawan. I think your wrists and ankles are fine, but I want Master Che to look at your throat. I also think you might have a mild concussion.”

As if proving his point, Obi-Wan began coughing again. Qui-Gon looked at him with concern. 

“Yeah, we’re seeing a real healer when we get home,” Qui-Gon reaffirmed. He entered the coordinates for Coruscant and guided the ship into hyperspace.

* * *

“Master Jinn, your Padawan will be just fine,” Vokara Che said, wrapping up her examination of Obi-Wan. 

Qui-Gon let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding. “Can I take him home?”

“Yes, just keep an eye on him. The bruising on his neck should go away in a few weeks and his throat is probably going to hurt for the next couple of days, but he’s young. He’ll bounce back quickly. As for his head, he did have a very mild concussion, but he should be okay within the next two days. Overall, I suggest he take it easy over the next two weeks or so.” 

“Thank you, Master Che.” Qui-Gon put a large hand on Obi-Wan’s shoulder. “Come, my young Padawan. Let’s go home.” 

Obi-Wan got up from the examination table and followed Qui-Gon down the long corridors of the temple. As they neared their quarters, an excited, high pitch voice called out to them.

“Obi!”

Obi-Wan and Qui-Gon turned to see Bant running down the hall towards them. She ran up to Obi-Wan and enveloped him in a big hug. He stiffened at first, but then grinned and hugged her back.

“Hello, Bant!” 

She pulled back and looked at him with concern.

“Your voice… Obi-Wan, what happened? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine, Bant. Are you okay?” he replied, gently grabbing her wrists in his hands. He examined the bandages around her wrists and his eyebrows knitted together in quiet fury.

“I’m okay, they didn’t really hurt me. I was more worried about you.”

“It’s alright, my Master found me,” he said, a grin returning to his face. 

As if she just now noticed Qui-Gon’s presence, she turned to him and said, “Oh, hello Master Jinn. Thank you for bringing him home.”

“I promised didn’t I?” Qui-Gon replied, amusement quirking his lips into a smile. He looked back down at his Padawan and could see he was growing tired. “Bant, we need to get back to our quarters, but why don’t you and Master Tahl join us for tea tomorrow evening?”

Bant’s eyes lit up. “That sounds wonderful! I’ll go tell my Master!” she exclaimed in her all too polite manner. No wonder she and Obi-Wan were such good friends. “Bye Master Jinn, bye Obi!”

Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan waved goodbye to the young Mon Calamari girl. 

Qui-Gon sighed with relief as they finally entered their shared quarters. 

“Get some sleep, Padawan,” Qui-Gon said, guiding him to his room. Obi-Wan didn’t protest, opting instead to crawl into his bed and fall asleep instantly.

Qui-Gon looked down at his Padawan and smiled. 

_ Maybe I haven’t failed this one yet.  _

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time participating in Whumptober! I don't have a post for every single day, but a lot of my fics are multi-chapter so I'll try to post those chapters on the days I don't have a submission. Thanks for reading!


End file.
